Long Time, Old Story
by DiabolicDreamer
Summary: 'Come with us,' he told me. 'We can find a place where you belong.' 'Isn't that against the Clan treaty' My eyes narrowed as I spoke. 'Let us just say, that by helping you we will gain a revenge most marvelous for our Clan.' He laughed and as he walked away, I knew I would follow...
**Disclaimer: If you recognize stuff; it's not mine. The Naruto world, for one... Plus there's some concepts that I've read in other stories that I liked and decided to use... And I'm sure the OC Insert/TimeTravel Plotline has been used more than once - seeing is how I've read a couple really good ones... So yeah... I also don't make any money from this, by the way... at all... It's really just a way to keep me entertained and sane when I'm not working or being hospitalized...**

* * *

Getsugakure no Sato was a small hidden village located in the tall mountains on the island of Tsuki no Kuni. The village mostly kept itself separate from the Kingdom and rarely intermingled outside of trade. It was made up of a few clans that worked together and thrived. They specialized in rare arts like Fuinjutsu and crafting chakra weapons out of the ores they mined from the depths of their mountain. This is where I was born.

My father, a man by the name of Mochizuki Masahiiro, was the head of one of the older clans in the village: The Mochizuki clan. Most of the clan history had been lost during our Clan's migration to the island generations prior but there were rumors that our clan had been around since before the Sage of Six Paths. My father was severely proud of that fact and held the old traditions highly. He had pale skin – we all do – and a dark blue swirled line motif tattooed on the open space between his eyebrows that symbolized his leadership. I remember being held in my mother's arms while he stared down his rather pointy nose while his chakra made his long hair swirl around him in his frustration. He was frustrated a lot.

Mother was a kind woman. She had warm brown eyes and dark hair that was so soft. She would let me play with it and make knots to my heart's content when I was little. She had darker skin than the rest of us; she had not been born here. She was part of an alliance agreement to another clan on the mainland. She was mostly quiet – especially during my father's moods. She had a fondness for the color blue and even her intricate headpiece was tinted blue with blue cloth and beads. She was not a ninja like the rest of the Clan. When she wasn't with us children, she was polishing a decorative sword that she said was a gift from her father.

I was the oldest child out of a set of twins. I, under normal circumstances, would have been the clan heir. However, I was born with the wrong bits and was passed over. The honor was instead given to my brother Takamasa. Taka inherited our mother's beautiful hair and demeanor while gaining our father's ice colored eyes. I loved to tangle his hair too - much to his amusement - and he would tangle mine in return - much to my ire. He was the person I could tell everything to and trust that he would keep it secret. If i had asked, he would've helped me bury the bodies of the clan elder's - evil bunch they are.

Together, we were raised in the ninja arts from the moment we could hold the rubber toy kunai steadily. Takamasa grasped it without difficulty, much to Masahiiro's pleasure. As for me… not so much. It was all strange for me and I couldn't understand heads or tails of most of it. I would often fall asleep during class. I did enjoy the calligraphy lessons as well as the dance lessons. Most of what I did manage to pick up, I used against them. I was a rather rambunctious child...

* * *

"That is it!"

It was early December and, while it was snowing outside, the heat from the earth's core kept us warm inside our mountain. We were in the private quarters of our Clan Compound. Takamasa and I were sitting in seiza with our heads bowed to the floor of our parent's study as Masahiiro paced in front of his imposing desk that sat on a raised dais - primarily used to help him look down his nose - have I mentioned how pointy it is? - at people. Our mother sat on the chair to her desk - to the left of our Father's - that she had turned around to face us.

"Father, I-"

"I don't want to hear from you, Takamasa," our father's eyes were colder than I had ever seen them as he glared down at us. "I do not want to hear why you thought your sisters harebrained scheme was a good idea. I do not want to hear it."

"It was my fault," I spoke up. Takamasa should not have to be put through this for something that I had done. "Takamasa had nothing to do with it."

"I know it was your fault, you idiot _child_ ; it is always _your_ fault." Masahiiro hissed as he halted his pacing right in front of us. Grabbing my hair to pull me up to his face level, he made sure I was looking him in the eyes. "But he went along with something he knew better than to go along with. Out of all your _childish_ antics, this is by far the most _moronic_ thing you have ever done. I never thought I could be more _disappointed_ in you than I already was."

He let go of my hair and I fell back down and scrambled back into position as he continued his pacing. Sometimes it was worth a shot to pacify Masahiiro… this was not one of those times...

"Anata," our mother intoned softly.

"Do not ' _Anata_ ' me, Minami," Masahiiro hissed. "She has stepped too far over the line this time. That _child_ is a **_menace_**! No more. I'm sending her _out_! It is time she _learns_ the hard way that her actions have consequences. Pack your bags, Chigusa. This is **_no longer your home_**."

"Anata!"

Looking up at the man with wide eyes, I could not believe his words. I could sense Takamasa looking at me; I refused to meet his gaze. Yes, I had a penchant for irritating our father, but never to the point where he would've considered sending me away - I was of his blood after all and blood was important.

"I do not care _where_ you go, or _what_ you do," Masahiiro spoke through gritted teeth. "But you will not stay here _one moment longer_ and disgrace us further. Do not come back until I call you – which will not be for a _very long time_. If I do call you back, make sure that those **_abominations_** are covered. Leave us… _**Now**_!"

Without another word, I sprang to my feet and raced from the study. Once I was safely ensconced in my room with my doors locked, I leaned back into the wall. Holding back my tears, I sunk down...

* * *

 _ **Flashback no Jutsu**_

For the Mochizuki's, it is tradition to tattoo the Clan Heir when they become fifteen as a symbol of their heir status. The tattoos are inked through a ritual that has been in our Clan since before we moved to Tsuki no Kuni. According to what records that are left, it was a joint project between the Uzumaki Clan from Uzu no kuni and our ancestors. The Uzumaki have since have found a different way to mark their heir's - according to them, a more _humane_ way. We Mochizuki's, on the other hand, have been fiddling and adapting the original ritual with each sealing since it came into practice. In fact, it is a part of the heir's inauguration ceremony to prove themselves worthy as a _Fuinjutsu Master_ \- which is a requirement for Clan Heir. For safety reasons, the 'improved seal' is viewed by our Clan Elders, all of the highest ranking Masters in our Clan and an Uzumaki or two - to solidify our Clan's alliance, of course. One thing that has never changed in the years that we've done this, is the visible tattoo's and the pain that comes with inking the seals into our own skin.

Taka had never been one for pain - it was a huge motivator for him to improve. It had been almost _too_ easy to get him to trade places once his first couple seals had been returned to him due to some flaw or another. Takamasa wasn't used to so much failure but the seals were a whole other level than what he was used to. He had never been overly gifted with _Fuinjutsu_ to begin with and with the deadline for the _Sealing_ getting closer, he was an utter wreck.

What had started as bitterness - and I will admit that I was bitter - had ended up as being a way to help my baby brother. It unnerved me to see Takamasa so worked up - he was usually the collected one. All I really had to do was ask him if he really wanted to go through the _Sealing_. He told me what surmounted to 'Hell no!' - in much politer terms, of course - and I offered to switch places using a form of _Henge_ that he'd stumbled across while messing around - he was way more of a _Ninjutsu_ genius. He agreed and gave me the seals that our Ancestors had used so that I could come up with my own version. It had taken me a while to get them how I wanted them and Taka had a hard time distracting the Elders who wanted it done as soon as possible, but eventually they were completed to their expectations.

If I had had a couple more months, I could've made them better, _possibly_. However, I only had just under two rushed weeks and there were still a few - _more than a few_ \- flaws but they were still 'okay'ed by the Uzumaki's - which meant they were 'okay'ed by the Elder's as well.

Finally, our birthday arrived and, with it, the day of the _Sealing_. Takamasa and I had taken to leaving the _Henge_ 's on to make everything easier and less suspicious in general so it was _I_ who was woken up _two hours before dawn_ to go down to the ritual chamber to paint the sealing arrays into the walls with ink imbued with my blood - and it was _a lot_ of blood. It took a handful of Blood Replenisher Pills and Soldier Pills before I could start. For a room the size that the Ritual Room is, it takes days to paint the entire thing in seals as intricate as the ones I was using. Thankfully, our Grand Ancestors had come up with a _slight_ cheat for this. In the center of the room is a tall pedestal with notches out of the sides in strategic places and covered in seals far greater than anything achieved in recent history. If I could have, I would've spent my whole life just inside that room trying to figure out all that went into the _Masutā Gishiki Shīru -_ the Master Ritual Seal. It in of itself was a work of art.

With this, one only needed to put their seal designs on special sealing paper in specific places among the notches of the pedestal, fill other notches with blood laced ink of various colors and types, poor in a lot of chakra and a couple other technical things. Once everything was in place, the ritual began.

There was also a hidden fail-safe in the Ritual Seal that our Ancestors put in. You see, the seal was originally made with ink imbued from the blood and ashes of our clans' founders and those who had originally worked on the seal. In doing so, a part of their souls are incorporated into it, giving it a partial mentality - in other words... it's sentient. This was a way for our Ancestors to judge the prospective heir and decide whether or not they were worthy of the title. Most of this I did not learn until during my Judgement.

Traditionally, the Ritual started at Dawn and it was no different for me. Just because it started at Dawn, didn't mean everything was done and over with in ten minutes and everyone could continue on their way. _Nope!_ The ritual lasted all throughout the day for most - depending on how complex their seals were and how fast the Ancestors judged them. My Father's Ritual was done by noontime as he did not go for an overly intricate seal and only put the bare minimum. It also helped that he had a much more direct approach to sealing than I and didn't care for how everything looked aesthetically once all was said and done. This is also why his seal is so small and centered.

While his was the example of utterly short, mine was the exact opposite. My Ritual lasted long into the night and partially into the next day. The Elders had been about ready to pull me out against the advice of the Uzumaki's when the ritual finished leaving intricate cloud designs all over my body and a terribly hoarse voice from screaming. Sadly, as the Ritual ended, the _Henge_ fell and exposed everything to the two Uzumaki's, the Clan Elders, and, worst of all, _my_ _Father_.

 _ **End Flashback no Jutsu**_

* * *

Scratching at the white, grey, and blue clouds etched into my skin around my arms and chest, I tried to get them off. I could feel wetness sliding down my face and the sting of the salt as it dripped onto open wounds but I ignored it. It wasn't until rapid knocking started on the door that I stopped. By that point, there was a small puddle of blood on the floor and the clothes that Masahiiro had thrown on me previously were ruined.

Despite the blood covering my hands, I rubbed the bridge of my nose with my thumb and went to stand. Freezing when my vision blurred, I called out for the person to enter. The fact that I had locked the door would not bar anyone for long. Slowly lowering myself back down, I focused on breathing while whomever it was picked their way through the door.

"Chigusa," my mother's wonderful voice floated over to me. The blood didn't make her hesitate as she hurried over to my side. "Oh, baby girl…"

"I didn't think that through very well…"

She choked on a small sob as she ripped the sleeves off of her pale Hiyoku to use as bandages. "Why must you always try and needle your Father so much…? I dislike seeing you two argue…"

"That wasn't an argument, Mother," I couldn't help but laugh weakly, wincing as she wrapped one of the pieces of cloth a little tighter than comfortable. "It was a one-sided yelling match… Am I really banished?"

"For the moment, it seems so," she loosened the cloth slightly but still kept it tight enough to stop the bleeding. "You did ruin a sacred clan tradition and one that your father's been looking forward to since your brother was born…"

"Yeah... since he was born…"

"Do not speak like that, Chigusa. Your father loves you very dearly, as well. He just has… a hard time showing it…"

I rolled my eyes as she finished wrapping my arms in the pale blue fabric that was slowly turning a maroon-like color as the blood seeped through. She helped me up out of the puddle and into the bathroom so I could wash up before putting on new clothes. She left once I was seated in the washroom with the water running over my body – the tightness of the cloth maintaining its purpose as I washed.

Mother came back by the time I started to pull myself up from the bench in order to grab a towel to dry myself off. She nudged me back down and passed a towel to me while grabbing another to start on my hair. I have Masahiiro's hair. It's really, really thick and a dark grey-blue. While it's not coarse, it's not as fine and silky soft as Mother's and Takamasa's hair either. It also makes my extremely light blue-grey eye color seem even more washed out than it already is.

Once she was done patting my hair dry, she helped me back to my room and settled me down on the bed. Sitting on the chair next to my desk, I saw a familiar face. Rangiku was old for a ninja – in her mid-fifties – and had been the Medic-nin to treat Takamasa and I when we were young. Her husband died during the end of the Clan War's Era before they'd had any children. She had never remarried.

"Rangiku-basama!"

"Shush, child," she pushed me back into the cushions of my bed. "Let me take a look and see what damage you've brought yourself this time while your mother packs for your journey."

"It's not a journey," I grumbled under my breath as I obeyed her command and relaxed back into the softness. She started to unwrap the arm closest to her and the long lines started bleeding once more as her hands glowed green.

"You can never stay out of trouble, can you, Child?" Rangiku-basama sighed as she finished one arm and moved onto the other. "Always being a mischievous little minx and getting injured and making more work for me… You're lucky I enjoy listening to the stories of your adventures or I'd have started refusing to heal you after your foolish ventures. Like that time you wanted to climb down the volcano shaft without gear, and only just having learned the wall walking technique!"

"It was fun!"

"And you were as red as a lobster for a week. Then you went and did it again! Silly Chigu-chan… You'd better come back and visit and tell me of your adventures," she frowned at me, her greenish brown eyes shimmering. "I'll miss you more than I'd like to admit. Who else am I going to keep in practice on?"

"You'll still have my son, Ran-sama," my Mother smiled from across the room while she finished sealing some of my books into storage scrolls and storing them inside a brown canvas bag - one that I had swiped years ago to aide in my 'missions'. It was good for carrying the supplies I needed and was sturdy.

"Bah! Taka-bō isn't nearly as self-destructive as this brat!" Rangiku-basama snorted and moved on to the less severe scratches on my chest. "This one alone would've made it so I'd have been able to retire happily in the few years I've had to take care of her. Your other brat has barely even gotten a splinter in comparison! Chigu-tan."

"I'm not a baby!"

"Chigu-tan," she reinforced, poking me on my still tender flesh. "I've known you since you were in diapers; I get to call you whatever I want."

"…I'm sorry for being a brat… Thank you for helping me, Rangiku-basama," I gave her a hug as I moved to get up. "I'm going to miss you..."

"Oh, Gaki, I'm going to miss you, too," she smiled and patted my hair. Grabbing a few small bottles off my desk, she pushed me back down into a seated position. "I have a few more things to pump into you before you go. You lost a lot of blood between the ritual and that stunt you just pulled."

My mother came over with a comb while Rangiku-basama forced a couple of her horrible concoctions down my throat. After the third, I refused to open my mouth for anymore – they truly are horrible even if they work remarkably well. By the time Mother had finished combing my hair into a high pony tail, Rangiku-basama had managed to pour the rest of her medicines down my throat.

"It's a shame we have to cut all of this off," my mother sighed as she rummaged through a drawer on my vanity looking for scissors. "You look so beautiful with your hair long."

"She always has, Minami," Rangiku-basama smiled sadly as Mother found the scissors I'd stored in the bottom drawer. "You make very beautiful children; you should be proud."

"I look like a female version of _Him_ ," I put in. "With Mother's nose."

"Oh, shush now," Rangiku-basama laughed, smacking my head. "At least you don't look like your grandfather. Mifune-sama would not make a good girl by any stretch of the imagination."

"True... Otousan is a bit too hairy to make a good woman," my Mother mused lining the scissors up to the bottom of the hair ribbon.

Digging into her Medical Pouch, Rangiku-basama brought out two scrolls and set them on the bed next to my canvas bag. "These will help you on your journey. Be careful, Chigusa… The world is not an easy place right now - even in this new era of piece that those Senju and Uchiha brats have initiated."

"Thank you," I would have pulled her into another hug if my mother hadn't started clipping the pony tail off. "Kaa-san… I'll miss you… so much…"

"Me too, baby. Me too," my Mother's voice wobbled. Turning around as the last of my hair fell away, she gathered me into her arms "Take care and, if you're in a city with courier service, write… Show me how beautiful your calligraphy has gotten."

Smiling at the two greatest women in my life, I picked up my bag and slung it over my shoulder. With one last look at them, I disappeared into the massive hallways of our Clan Compound...

* * *

 ***Author's Note***

 ****Feel Free To Skip****

 **Hello Everyone! This is my latest edit of the prologue, mostly just wording changes and such. I haven't had any time off of work recently so I wanted to get reacquainted with this before redoing the first chapter - because I'm picky, it's not quite flowing right to me, and I don't have a beta to bounce ideas and such off of. I will probably edit this prologue a couple more times because I like tweaking things and editing because I realize it's a lot harder to edit your own work than it is someone elses and it helps me grow as a writer by trying different stuff out waiting a couple months and then rereading it. If anyone has any questions, feel free to PM me or write a review. Please no Flames! Constructive criticism is welcomed as it helps me grow but nonsensical flaming is NOT welcomed as it only makes yourself feel better. You don't have to read if you do not want to. For those who do read this and like it, feel free to give me your thoughts.**

 **Thanks and love you all!**

 **DDreamer**

 **Edited: 4/18/16**

 **Edited again: 7/8/16**


End file.
